Carla MacLeod might be drawing parallels to Ted Lasso, but that doesn’t mean she subscribes to all of his wisdom.
As far as the saying ‘be a goldfish’ goes, she said she wants the complete opposite from her team, especially considering the start to the first half of the season.
“You can’t be a goldfish when you’re learning and growing. You have to retain and grow. We haven’t played so poorly that we need to forget.”
The opposite of a goldfish would probably be something akin to an elephant, considering the difference and size and great memory. MacLeod agreed with the idea after practice on Tuesday.
“They probably go to the net too, elephants go to the net,” MacLeod joked. “Goldfish, you bat that out of the way.”
One thing Ottawa’s remembered for sure is their last encounter with New York. Ottawa choked a 3-0 lead and lost in overtime then.
“You don’t have to be entrenched in sport to recognize what that should do inside of you. We’ve got a bit of an opportunity to get the job done,” said MacLeod.
And job well done it was for Ottawa come Wednesday, securing the win this time in regulation.
Gabbie Hughes scored the game-winner with less than five minutes to go. She said the get back feels really good and it wasn’t too different a game than last time.
“Kind of the same story, just went our way this time.”
New York overcame an early 2-0 deficit to tie the game in the third period, making flashbacks of what happened during their last encounter at TD Place.
Still, Hughes said the team’s confidence did not waiver.
“When they made that tying goal, everyone on the bench knew ‘we’re gonna take this game and we’re gonna take control.’”
It’s a proud moment for the team, but there’s still the elephant in the room to address: Ottawa has a ways to go in terms of climbing up the standings.
They’re eight points behind league-leading Montreal. Of any team, Ottawa has the fewest number of wins, at four.
Still, there’s plenty of highlights to take from Ottawa, heading into the second half of the season. One of which being their confidence in each other, said MacLeod.
“This is one thing I couldn’t be more proud of in our group, is collectively as a staff and from players through, we’ve never wavered from trusting and believing in one another.”
Ottawa has another chance at three points come Saturday, when they face off against Toronto. Last time they played, Ottawa won.
For their sake, the team ought to make like elephants and remember they can do it again.
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Featured Image ©️ Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL)
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